Ebb Weathers

AJW is named for a man whose simple, successful life embodies the values that guide us today: integrity, hard work, and the insight to take a chance on new technologies.

Albert (“Ebb”) Joseph Weathers was born in 1900, the child of Irish immigrants who lived in a small house without plumbing in Lima, Pennsylvania. As a teenager facing limited prospects at the family grocery stand, Ebb heard about a man selling automobiles a few towns away.

Though Ebb had never driven a car, he knew opportunity. He walked to that town, introduced himself to the salesman and persuaded him to give Ebb a car that he could try to sell himself.

After a quick, necessary, driving lesson, Ebb returned to the family grocery and put the 1916 Dodge Brothers Roadster out front with a hand-painted “For Sale” sign on the bumper. It sold the same day. Only days after they had met – and to the salesman’s great surprise – Ebb returned with cash in hand and a brother, and asked for two cars.

Weathers Dodge was among the oldest Dodge dealerships in the nation, standing on the same spot on West Baltimore Pike from its opening day until its closing in 2009. Ebb and his brother knew that success comes from treating people honestly and from a commitment to service. By living those values, Weathers Dodge earned corporate accolades and spectacular customer loyalty for three generations.

It was the latter of these accomplishments in which Ebb, his brother, and their sons and grandsons took pride and dedicated themselves to sustaining. It is also what inspires us at AJW.

Albert Joseph Weathers was the grandfather of Christopher Hessler, AJW’s founding partner. While not all of us knew Mr. Weathers, we’ve all been inspired by someone whose integrity, vision, and grasp of the promise of new technology has set the path for others to follow.